Finding Home
by Journey-to-Serenity
Summary: Lucy knows she will never have a Normal life, but with Kohta out of her reach, she has to find a home....somewhere...
1. The road to Nowhere

Lucy looked toward the horizon, the baggage she carried seemingly getting heavier as her eyes drifted and soaked in the scene. A vast array of foliage intimidated her but she couldn't give up, wouldn't give up. "Why stop now?" she asked herself for the hundredth time that day as she blew the crimson hair away from her face. She moved forward, pushing her body further then it would normally allow. Although she was a diclonious, her body structure and anatomy was much the same as a humans save for the lone horn reaching out of the left side of her skull.

Since the fight at the bridge, Lucy traveled to find a place to call home but so far, was unlucky. Her limping had grown worse since then to her dismay.She tried so hard just to make the next town, but her right leg ached as though the bullet lodged in it was alive and squirming. Her heart ached more, but neither could slow her down. "Why stay there?" she thought fiercely. "But...why leave him...?" came an even deeper thought emerging from the back of her mind as the road before her just kept going.

Kohta came in her mind very often, but was always disrupted when Nyu came back from what Lucy called "Sleeping". Nyu always disrupted everything Lucy was ever doing, causing so much confusion and being a great hassle to everyone. It made traveling so difficult since Nyu knew nothing about wounded legs, was so clueless to the world, easily tricked, and never killed. If not for Lucy, travelling was a big no-no for Nyu. Lucy passed by some little boys playing a kicking ball game she had never seen, or heard of before. It looked interesting until the boys stopped and stared at her. She instantly regretted not having her hat as they stared at her horn and talked to each other in hushed tones. "Stop." she demanded, but they weren't in hearing distance. One boy wasn't paying attention at all to his comrades and kicked the ball. Lucy looked away and began walking away when suddenly the ball spiraled through the air and hit her head.

Lucy doubled over in pain, her head throbbing so bad she vomited all over blades of green grass. She lifted her eyes to the boys running away.

"Nyu?" Nyu asked, getting up from the ground and wiping her mouth off. Her face was softer, sweeter, an expression of happiness clouding her light red eyes. Nyu began to walk but gasped as pain shot through her right leg. Looking down, she touched it lightly whispering "Owie..." while her finger tracing the hole made the flesh burn. "Nyu! Nyu! I hurt!" she yelled to the wind. It carried her words to nowhere...just like her legs.

She layed in the grass and stared at the whiteness above her, not knowing what else to do. Nyu loved clouds so much. She loved forming shapes from something that looked nothing like she wanted it to. She loved forcing it to be what she wanted it to be. And usually that was Kohta's delicate face.

Night approached with thoughts of only Kohta, everything she knew about him. His laugh. His grin. His shocked face, even his smell. But especially his warmth. "Kohta...I'm here." she exclaimed to him although she knew he wouldn't hear. She turned to her side and closed her eyes in sorrow. "I want back, we need to move." came a voice inside her head. "But Kohta will find me if i'm here." she thought back to it. This voice was musical in a sense, deep and profound with a light touch of beauty. "Kohta thinks we're dead, and he's probably with that girl anyways, eating rice balls happily with laughter. Forgetting us." replied the voice. "No!" Nyu cried out with anger. A sigh came from the voice but nothing else was said. Nyu felt lonelier than usual as she lied beneath the dark sky filled with tiny light bulbs. Her eyes grew heavy, until finally closing despite how hard she fought.

Lucy took the advantage silently, like a ninja in the mind.

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It was early morning by the time she reached a gas station. Lucy made her way inside to ask for directions and maybe steal some money but someone suddenly stopped her.

"Hey! Aren't you that...monster that was on the news? You are, aren't you!" he exclaimed. Lucy detested his short and flabby features, fat looking more like an outfit then skin. She hated his ugly brown eyes, his oily black hair.

"Monster?" she finally replied after making him squirm under her gaze.

"I'm sorry, that was rather rude.I just meant to ask if you are the girl on the news. The one about the bridge fight."

"What if I am?" she asked, raising her brow to make a clever expression.

The man stared at her in thought but waved it off, going back to filling his car's tank with dark liquid. Lucy opened the door and waltzed in strait to the cashier. He was a young man in his late twenties she decided, with brown hair reaching to his shoulder, protruding from a blue hat, as he looked at a car magazine. He wore a blue shirt saying "Go dragons!" and a dragon looking as though it was tearing his shirt open as it emerged out. She found no name-tag."Excuse me..." she began. The boy looked up, making her stumble backward unintentionally.

"Yes?" he asked in a polite manner.

"I need to know where a hotel is. The closest one." Lucy stared him strait in his brown eyes. They seemed to swallow her soul but she didn't look away.

He stared back without answering, looking as though he was a bit confused and scared. She wanted to look at his entire face, examine it, touch it. The burn marks smeared everywhere on one side of the man's face were like stories just waiting to be told, lines reaching to his mouth. Stories specificaly guided their words to his mouth yet he spoke not of it. Lucy wanted to ask about his story but decided not to. She needed somewhere to sleep, and chances are he'd be dead soon anyways.

"There's one called Super Motel in two miles north of here. I am not sure whether there are any rooms though." his eyes drifted to her horn for only a moment. She noticed.

"Do you want to ask about it?"

"No. I already know." he seemed to be good at surprising people, even her. He deserved to die with the last ones in her eyes.

Without saying anything else Lucy limped out the store and walked North-bound with his wallet.


	2. James The Spy

"Everything is always difficult for me." Lucy stared at the torn building. The sign beside it was in ruins making it unable to be read. Sadness overwhelmed the woman as she sat down to rest her broken spirit along with her pained body, thinking of how much that old building was like her. Tilting on it's side, not completely whole, feeling sorry for itself, it would need help to get the puzzle pieces back into a complete puzzle. She knew her heart well, feeling as though the hotel was more familiar and hit closer to home. Sighing and getting back up to leave was difficult, but the diclonious carried on, determined, fighting to upkeep this steady torture. Her stomach growled like a vicious beast awakening after this morning's contentment.

The sun shone yellow and red as Lucy walked inside the gas station. Stars were already poking their magnificent heads. She surveyed the desk and felt someone there, but couldn't see any souls. "I know your here..." she cautioned to the air calmly. "Yeah, I know your here too." replied a voice behind the counter. After an obviously heavy box was dropped on the ground with a grunt, the boy she encountered previously appeared, looking strait at her. His sweat made him look as though he had just climbed out of a shower and his cheeks shown red from work.

"Well? What do you want?" he asked, frustrated.

"There was no hotel. You lied." she countered furiously. The venom in her voice made his eyes flicker with fear, but for only a second. _I know something that will really scare you _she thought menacingly. Lucy let one of her vectors out and reached for his brain. The boy's eyes went cold with fear, his body began to shake, feeling the coldness of something he felt once before. The memories flashed back horribly as he stood there, frozen. This reaction satisfied the diclonious. She let the vector hobble back and return to her but not without smashing a jar of pickles first. The young man stirred, remaining where he stood, eyes flickering between the mess and Lucy. He let out a sigh of relief when she did nothing but stared back at his wide eyes. The boy regained his momentum before deciding to talk again.

"You took my wallet, I had to make you come back somehow. So your not happy to see me?" without a reply he added "Aw, that saddens me." and let a half sneer escape his composure.

This man confused her so much. She knew he feared her...it sent vibes throughout his being, but he talked and acted like she was just a normal stupid traveler. Somehow this made everything, the entire situation, uncomfortable. There was no "normal" for Lucy and she knew this, the horn was a reminder every single day of her life. Yet he treated her as though there was only hair on her head.

"I don't understand you, but no matter. Unless you take me to a hotel I'm not leaving, no exceptions. " Lucy shifted on her right leg and crossed her arms to look as though she was some snobbish human that wanted the world on a platter. The boy laughed under his breath and half smiled.

"Lucy right?" he asked tentatively.

Her head snapped up with a hint of fear and anger mixed with confusion in one pot of soup. "And if I am?"

"Nothing happens if you are."

"Somehow I don't believe you. But yes, I am. How do you know?"

"That question is for later. My name is James."

"I don't care what your name is."

"Then I don't care where you sleep."

James flashed a grin her way that pretty much said he could play this game too. Lucy hated him for it.

"Whatever. I'll be waiting."

"So we've reached an agreement." he stated more then questioned.

She limped out to the bright street light in waiting. It shone on her brighter then normal lights that were set in homes. A shiver went up her spine as another thought hit her in the chest, knocking her breath out seemingly. For a second panic flew in. _As bright as...there.What if they're watching me? What if he's one of them? Is that how he knew of us?! _But just as her thoughts flew into black colors, James walked out and observed Lucy for five seconds too long.

"What?"

"You looked like you were having a troubling thought. Most diclonious do though." At the mention of her race Lucy looked down at the rubble beneath her feet and pretended to take an interest in their color. _How would he know? He wouldn't know anything unless he's been around them. He's a spy...and if that's so...he must be killed..._she decided.

"My car is over there." James pointed to a red mustang, the only one parked in the gas station's parking lot. Without a second glance she made her way to the side, James following silently behind her. Lucy knew she could kill him in an instant if things came to it, as did he, but she didn't know how to drive if she had to. Her hesitation made James antsy thinking she was contemplating on a way to take his life.

"You get in on the other side. It's unlocked so um, all you have to do is pull on the bar."

Lucy climbed in carefully and tried to get comfortable for what she knew was going to be an adventerous ride.


	3. Yoko

The car hummed in its own exuberance, the wheels slipping and sliding along the road as silent as a car could get. Inside the sweet transportation Lucy stared out the window in a slight enthrall while James stared ahead at the dark road. Their stillness itched at him but he waited until she wanted to break the dead air. He knew she had questions, and he knew she could kill him in any instant.

Lucy allowed out a sigh, fogging the window halfway to the top. She let out a vector and drew a simple design of someone's face she remembered in a distant memory. Kohta stared back with his mouth shut in silent awe. James looked over but quickly glared back to the road.

"Tell me how you know about my race." she demanded while clearing Kohta's face, and attempted memory, away. James took in a breath and let it out little by little as he steered the handles to wherever he wanted it to go, but said nothing. It struck her how submissive a car really was to humans, no matter what it went exactly where they willed it to go. _Would it be better if I was that way?_She wondered to herself. Lucy looked at James again unemotionally. "Tell me." She commanded. He creased his brow in a way to declare he wasn't going to utter a word. She sighed in dissatisfaction and positioned her head back on the window. Another thought came to mind while she pretended to fall asleep…_I don't have to deal with this nonsense. I'm not human._

Like a cat preparing to launch an attack, Lucy allowed the vector to flow inside his leg, taking a hold of his bone. He looked at it, horror-struck, but looked back at the road in time to avoid a truck. The sudden jerking motion made her slack her grip for only a moment. A moment too long. James took his hand and slapped Lucy hard on the cheek while wheeling the car to the side of the rode before slamming on the breaks. His face was red with fury and hate, confusion and sadness. She looked back at him and flipped her hair out of her deep red eyes, gritting her teeth.

"How could you Lucy!? **I can't believe I'm even wasting my time with you**!" he screamed in blind fury.

"You're a spy James, a spy! I figured you out!" she roared back

A look of confusion dominated the other emotions for a minute. "I'm trying to HELP you, not take you to that…that…torture chamber!"

"How would you even know about it, or us, or anything then?!"

James grew silent and looked forward; his jaw clenched so hard a vein protruded out on the burnt side of his face. He brought his eyes back to hers and maintained a soft, trusting feel. "I know we hardly know each other and some things may be strange to you right now, but being a spy is the last thing I am. I don't even want to know your plans for getting in this car with me thinking I am one." He whispered with a certain sternness to it. She realized the car was turned off and they were in complete silence in addition to the cars passing by and the crickets joining in a harmonious song. He started the car back up cautiously and got back on the road while they sat without a word the rest of the way.

Rain pounded on the mustang like billions of bullets being shot at her but never penetrating through the car's roof. There was no lightning, or even thunder, to her surprise. She shivered at the thought of the last time she actually felt the rain fall on her light skin, seeping into her clothes, wetting her hair until it tangled and stuck together or on her clothing. She wanted to touch it again and feel the cold bitterness of it but the car didn't allow any to seep inside. James looked disgusted at even a drop running down his face, and didn't allow any on his windshield if he could help it.

It was late night by the time he pulled into a driveway across a fairly healthy looking house. In the doorway was a light shining onto the porch and along the brown oaken doorway. It was one-story, with cobblestone leading a path across wet grass to the entrance. The feel of it was quite comfortable to her. "This is my grandma's place." James stated simply. She wanted to answer him but sensed the anger still there in his insides. He walked up to the door and knocked three times softly, but when there was no answer he knocked three times more, steadily growing louder. "I'm coming I'm coming just hold on!" came a scratchy voice from inside. Lucy heard scuffles of footsteps and stepped back inadvertently when the door swung open. "Well hello there James! It's about time you came home. Your schedule says you got off work three hours ago, I was growing worried!" a little old lady barely five feet tall and with long, white hair reaching her shoulder blades stood at the doorway with a scowl. Her eyes drifted to Lucy though, and a cry of shock escaped her thin lips as James explained but the woman didn't seem to hear. She stared at her with satisfaction as her grandson spoke to deaf ears. Lucy pulled her hat down tighter and tried to smile, but it felt odd and crooked. "Now who is this young lady?" she asked with a smirk. James rolled his eyes.

"This is Lucy; she needed somewhere to stay for awhile and she's hurt so I thought I might bring her here. Would you mind?"

"No! Of course not honey, any girlfriend of yours is fine with me…as long as you two have separate beds."

In her gut, Lucy felt a spiraling feeling of anger towards the woman but tried to wave it off quickly before it messed with her facial features. _She knows nothing, she knows nothing. She doesn't know Kohta._The grandmother stepped aside and let them in, giggling as Lucy brushed her side. "I'm Yoko by the way. My grandson doesn't know how to introduce family to friends." She stated as she led the way into the main area, a harmonious feng shui room with exotic plants decorating and adding to the peaceful feel. Yoko sat down and poured three glasses of tea unto a bamboo table.

As Lucy scuffled her way to the mat, her foot went under her and she fell, but was caught swiftly by James. "Thanks." She muttered as he helped her to the seat. Yoko watched with concern in her pupils, but said nothing until they were at rest sipping the tea. It tasted bitter to the diclonious but had a certain taste that made her want more.

"I have an extra room I've saved for years, so you will occupy that until you can get on your feet. But in the meantime…I want a look at that wound of yours. Before I was a mother I was a nurse, so you can clear any doubts you may have." Yoko said as she poured more tea in Lucy's cup. Lucy said nothing and winced at a sudden jolt shooting up her thigh but kept her face neutral. James looked forward in silence as he sipped and sighed every so-often. He looked at Lucy with a sudden scorn she couldn't decipher until a thought reached her head.

"Thank you, Miss Yoko. I appreciate everything and I hope to be no burden." He looked forward again, satisfied. Yoko stood up with little difficulty and asked Lucy to join her. "I need to examine you in the bathhouse. James, you have work tomorrow so I suggest you go right to bed." James eyed her carefully before walking out and turning the corner.

Lucy looked at Yoko with a "if-looks-could-kill" stare but the woman ignored it as she lead Lucy to the bathhouse and started the water once they arrived. It rose to four inches from the top, hot air floating from it into the ceiling, disappearing through the numerous cracks.

"Take off your clothes please." Yoko stated kindly, but with firmness Lucy had distaste for.

"No."

Yoko was taken aback by this rebellion and unclothed herself in silence first, right before the diclonious's eyes. Her skin made Lucy uncomfortable to be around her, for it looked as though it was flung onto her to try and hide the veins but failed miserably; they popped out at the surface of her skin from every direction, blue against her pale, almost white flesh. The worst part of her skin was how shriveled it was, like the skin was desperately crying out for water. Yoko kept her bra and underwear on and asked Lucy once again to take hers off.

"I won't do it." She replied coldly.

"This is nonsense, Lucy; there is no need to be shy."

Lucy knew this, for she had been bare before in front of men and even women. But she never had done it intentionally except when Nyu was alive. The steam off the water was enticing, and she knew it had been awhile since she had had a bath, but the woman looked like she would enjoy this. She had to refrain from destroying her face by clenching her jaw.

After a minute of being in silence, Yoko gave in. "Well then, there's not many rooms in this house, so it should be easy for you to find one. Just avoid closed doors. Chances are James' in one…."

Lucy made it out as soon as she got the sense the woman was done. She ignored what Yoko had said and tuned her out but left when she knew Yoko had finished.

After looking around, Lucy could hear snores coming from one room and avoided it, going into a room right beside it. The place felt homey indeed, but not the type of home she felt belonged to her. If she was to find a home…this was not the right place for it, or the right people. It had to belong to her and have her own things in it, not someone else's.

Just as she crawled in the covers spread on the tatami mats, a rustling came from the other room. Then muffled screaming. Lucy got up quickly and ran to the next doorway and opened it quietly but effortlessly. She looked all around but no one was there, except for James' outstretched body thrashing around and holding a pillow to his mouth. She rushed to his side and shook his shoulders vigorously.

"James! Wake up!" she whispered after realizing he was still asleep.

James opened his eyes and looked at her with horror, suddenly backing up until he was against a wall.

"Are you ok?" she asked in wonder.

"I'm fine…go away." He replied through grit teeth.

As she left though, he walked behind her and grabbed her hand. "I have something to tell you."


	4. His Story

Lucy didn't know what to think at his sudden brave streak. James himself looked a bit surprised at his own self, and let go of her hand quickly and backed away to his bed. "Sorry," he muttered, and lay down, turning on his side. The moon's light poured through the window above a small dresser and outlined the contours of his side, making Lucy wonder if there really was more to this man then met the untrained eye. "What were you going to say?" she asked hesitantly.

"Nothing," He replied.

"Was it about your midnight terrors?" she asked, pressing the subject.

James sighed and turned to his other side so he could see her. Lucy crossed the room in one swift movement, sitting close to the figure but far enough away that he couldn't reach her unless he got up.

"Yeah…It was. Do you really want to know, though?" his eyes brightened.

"Do you honestly want to tell?" she asked, countering him. He pulled her hat off in an awkward, silent agreement.

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"I was sixteen when my dad and my mother and I moved down here from Tokyo. My father achieved the job of becoming a scientist in the study of mutations. It was a huge deal to him, but not so huge to my mom and I. He had had leads like this before, but they were always let-downs. It was nice to get away from my last life, because people there didn't quite except me for me, you know? I was smarter then they were. Naturally, I was a geek."

"What's a geek?" Lucy interrupted. James smiled slightly on his good side.

"A smart individual at school that is frowned upon mostly by the accepted group." He replied.

Lucy was only in school for so long and hardly remembered much of it, except that it was horrible. The teasing and taunting and murders rushed into her memory and itched at her brain, making her remember the things she didn't want to. She tried to brush them away, erase them, and distract herself to something else. That's when James' voice cut through them like an invisible hand through flesh.

"Anyways, he began work at this certain facility on an island no one but us was aware existed. So everyday he had to get up early to fly some helicopter and didn't come home for days, sometimes weeks. In this one instant, not even a month. We despised this more than anything. When he was home, my parents fought the majority of the time. My mom wanted us to move to that island, but he said we couldn't; that it was Impossible. He didn't even want us to call his work. Eventually everything went to some sort of odd schedule that worked for everyone."

"It was late August; I was seventeen, when my dad called us with this scared, frantic voice I have never heard him use before. It scared me. He told us to get out of the house as quickly as possible. Us being stupid, we tried to grab whatever we found important. Unfortunately…my mom thought everything was important. When the firefighters came and I escaped to outside, my mom was still inside. Before I knew it, I was going in after her. People yelled that my house was going to collapse but all I could think of….was mom."

Lucy touched his arm slightly, her cold fingers almost instantly warm from the intense heat radiating from his skin. He recoiled but sighed and continued.

"I couldn't find her, and the house was so…emblazed. I collapsed on a hot floor from the smoke entering my lungs too much. A firefighter got me, but he didn't find my mother. Once he was out, the house collapsed and my mom…" James took in a deep breath, struggling with the word.

"You don't have to say it, James. I know." Lucy responded. James fell to his palate and closed his eyes hard as Lucy got up and moved to the doorway. "Goodnight James. And thanks for telling me your story." Before James could reply, Lucy shut the door after whispering "You can tell me the rest when you want."

Days passed by in an intense state. Yoko managed several times to corner Lucy, but failed every try. She had a hate for the old woman each passing day, but vowed to refrain her hands from her throat. James worked constantly and although suggested, he didn't take a day off. Lucy knew he was avoiding her but didn't really care. "_As long as you don't get attached, nothing will happen.__"_ She reminded herself day by day.

"I'm home Grandma!" James yelled as he set his keys on the small key hook beside the door. Lucy ignored him, secretly using her vectors to put away the dishes she wiped off. Yoko waddled to her grandson and hugged him half-heartedly.

"Is something wrong?" he asked when Yoko repeatedly sighed at dinner that night in a dramatic tone. Lucy already knew the situation and kept munching her rice, looking down at her lap.

"Except for the fact that Lucy does not want to be a proper patient and let me look at her leg? Nothing." Yoko slammed her fist on the table, glaring at Lucy with a ferocity she felt so many times before.

"Maybe if I wasn't cornered like a wounded animal, I would let you. Maybe if you asked, I would consider it. Maybe if you showed the slightest interest in me but not why I wear a hat all the time, I would allow you to fix me. Don't ask me questions, don't look at me like I'm an object and most of all, don't act like I'm your friend." Lucy concluded. It was the longest thing she had said since her time at the house.

James looked from Lucy to Yoko with a small grin on the good side of his face, obviously enjoying the silent bicker.

"How about this: you either let me look at it and HELP you, or you get out of my house."


End file.
